danciegirlmaria

i totally agree, i said the same kind of things about rojo and acosta to a friend of mine but she disagreed and i thought it might just have been me being weird! (but she's slightly biased as a really big rojo fan!)

I saw the Rojo/ Acosta cast on 13th jan! I found the ballet as enchanting as the first time i was it! Rojo (admitedly not my favourite RB principle) was a stunning technically, she appeared to approach this role as much gusto as she always does, but for me (and i know rojo_fan will disagree) she wasn't quite..... i dont really know how to describe it........she just wasn't MY giselle!?! Acosta too was great, but to me it felt as though he was "Acosta playing Albrecht" in opposed to BEING Albrecht! I'm being quite picky here, so don't misunderstand it was a wonderful performance. Yanowsky gave a 'sterdy and solom' queen of the wilis and both her attendents(Morera and McMeekan) performed their solos with a truly romantic feeling! I enjoyed act 2 above act 1, the corps were really on form and gave the stage a spooky atmosphere! Can't wait to see Cojocaru/ Kobborg on 5th feb!! (some friends are going tonight- woe is me!)

How exciting, i hadn't heard anything about the New Hip-Hop nutcracker yet, Mum's cousin's partner did most of the music for it- i'm glad to hear it's doing do well!

Has anyone else seen the mixed bill at ROH? 'Gong' chor. Mark Morris 'Proverb' chor. William Tuckett 'Broken Fall' chor. Russell Meliphant 'Qualia' chor. Wayne McGregor Having seen Gong before (and throughly disliking it!) i was pleasently surprised to enjoy its rather 'interesting' costume and wide use of dance movement vocabulary! The mens costume were quite plain but were accented with gold hoop earings (which in my mind made them look like dancers from 'corsaire gone wrong') I felt it to be generally cleaner performance than last time i saw it, and with no grumpy looking principles dancing soloist roles everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves- which was nice! Proverb, was an interesting dance exploration, performed well by Zenaida Yanowsky and Adam Cooper. Tuckett's piece explored how a couple survive after the initial euphoria has worn off. This was initially was shown when the light came up with Yanowsky and Cooper in an embrace, on the right hand side of the stage were two single beds (which immediatly conjured ideas of long term relationships). Having read the programme on the tube on the way home the ideas and principle of the piece were clarified, however before this i had 3 quite diferent ideas about the 'meaning' behind the piece! :rolleyes: Broken Fall, I really don't have much to say about this piece, (as Thumper's father says "if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all!"), all i really can say is: "CRITICAL MASS: Pas de Trois!!" Predictable, boring etc........ i'm probably going to make a few enamies from these comments because it was the audience's favorite and it's had great reviews but Broken Fall really rubbed me the wrong way. Last, but not least, Qualia. I was really interesting to see, Edward Watson doing the type of movemnts his body was degined for (like a guillem who i feel come in to her own in In The Middle, Some What Elevated!). The piece overall was hard and fast- just the way i like it! Lots of interesting motifs, which developed, in to a frenzy of maddess on stage.................. A great evening, wonderful dancers and choreography- perfect for me.........

Did anyone see the triple bill at ROH? Wheeldon's Polyphonia Balanchine's Four Temperaments Kylian's Sinfonetta Personally, thought it was an interesting combination of ballets. Wasn't impressed with polyphonia admitedly (although rojo_fan will disagree) i found it a bit...... like student choreography! It had great 'moments' but as a whole piece it wasn't for me! The 4 temps was great, meloncolic as particularly well danced by Bonelli! Though Edward Watson was (as usual) wonderful as Phlegmatic, using his over flexablity its full extent! Mmmmm, what to say of sinfonetta............. CHEESY!? Thats the best word i can find to illustrate this piece. Thats not to say it isn't watchable, because it is, but there is just something that makes me feel slightly nautious!

Hear, Hear! I'm honestly not being biased but Johan and Alina were so wonderful. I really felt that wednesday's cast was perfect! Their characteristions were deep and multi-layered: Johan, before my very eyes, transformed himself from the 31 year old dancer I know (and LOVE) into the young and rather nieve teenage Romeo! The balcony PdD was sheer heaven, and small details such as the way he grabbed Lady Capulet's skirt in utter sorrow after killing Tybalt......... I really had died and gone to heaven (Rojo_fan and I are not ashmed to say were in tears at several sections of the ballet! )

I have to admit, as a regular opera house go-er- that i tend to get standing tickets for triple bills such as the one above because i know its unlikely to sell out and just sneek into some seats as the lights go down! But the ushers have actually cottoned on to this clever plot and now look at the cost of our ticket and send us to an 'appropiate' seating area!

I would have loved for you guys to have seen Johan in Flint's The Lesson (part of his Out of Denmark programme in London. Note to self remember to write the review which i promised weeks ago!! Whoops.....) He was stunning, full of character- drawing on (what i felt were) all the right aspects of Flint's psycotic ballet teacher. Very, very scary....... but made me long to see him in macmillan's Mayerling again!! But this is : :offtopic: so i'll stop!

Johan Kobborg does not lack line, and theres no more to say about that!! I think you'll find that almost all of the london critics disagree with you, especially from a dancer/actor perspective! Very rarely does he get a bad review, either for his dancing or his acting! So overall you had a good night then!!???

I went, i saw and i was amazed! I promise to write a 'proper' review but i haven't got the time or energy right now!!

Just read on ballet.co that the programme includes one of Flemming Flindt’s most admired pieces, The Lesson, danced for the first time by Johan Kobborg, Alina Cojocaru, and Zenaida Yanowsky. Kobborg and Cojocaru are also paired for the revival and first UK performance of Harald Lander’s 1942 Pas de Deux Festpolonaise, and join ten other dancers for August Bournonville’s lively Napoli Act III. A rarely seen duet is Jockey Dance featuring Royal Ballet dancers Ricardo Cervera and Bennet Gartside, choreographed by August Bournonville in 1876 for the ballet From Siberia to Moscow. More Danish classicism from August Bournonville, a Pas de Deux from William Tell, is danced by Bethany Keating and Martin Harvey.

Not long now! yeah yeah yeah yeah :hyper: yeah yeah yeah yeah Can't wait! Still resentful that i have to teach til 7.30 on opening night so i can't go :angry: , but 3 out of 4 isn't that bad! :grinning: Its going to be great (i hope im not dissappointed)

Thought you might be, Alexandra

I saw it, but have been busy! I'll get writing about it tomorrow, if anyone is still interested!!??

Yeah yeah yeah :hyper: yeah yeah yeah

Ha ha..... you said the magic words!!!!! Kobborg.......... Genius dancer esp. when he dances with alina c!!!!!

I've herd that said about LaRiche before, i have bot experienced enough of Paris opera etc to pass comment. :shrug: Though I must say he did give a good performance! She was lovely, once she lost her nerves- but its only my (very personal) opinion! As i posted before, i have to write horrid things esp. about my favorite RDB dancer!!!!!!!! but i just didn't feel she was on top of it!!

Theres a gorgeous picture of Greve and Schandorff in the Manon programme, and the lines are perfect!!!!

I think thats probably along the right lines!! I remember the RB version being very spacious with wide and broad movements, esp. party scene! But the stage at the royal opera house is huge!! esp. compaired to Gamle Scene! She's too tall for him!! (as is often the problem with tall girls, eg. Darcy Bussel)

Though I have been to 3 out of 4 of the sites (and have read the articals on the 4th, when they were printed in Dance Now) i'd still like ti give a big wink to Alexandra!! You clever clever lady!!! :blushing:

Last night i went to see RDB do Manon! Manon- Silja Schandorff Des Grieux - Nicolas Le Riche Lescaut - Jean-Lucien Massot I have to admit to being slightly disappointed by the 1st Act, it looked like the dancers were not fully warmed up (to the parts OR their bodies!!) Dancers were bumping in to each other, accidentaly grand battement-ing each other!! Some of the dancers were off on the timing, though alot of the macmillan timing is difficult, however this really no excuse! I was dissappointed to see that Schandorff (whom i usually enjoy watching of all the RDB principles) giving what was a 'surface' performance of the 'nieve' and 'innocent' manon, however i think it might just have been nerves- i certainly hoped so!! I also noticed that schandorff what some figer twiching which i have never noticed before, how evr this is commonly (among dancers) known as a sign of nervousness! By the end of Act One i was nearly ready to go home but stayed to give this usually lovely company another chance!! (Must say now that i have actually seen Manon by the Royal Ballet, London at least three times so am well aware of how it should be!?) In all honesty, Mogens Boesen (Monsieur G.M) saved the Act, he was so inside the charcter- you could really see it - esp. in his eyes (the most important place) The Pas de Trois with Manon, Lescaut ans Monsiour GM was so fab really smooth and this is when i saw Schandorff's Manon really come alive- she had just danced a fast paced but 'uncomfortable' pas be deux with Des Grieux and now faces the choice of love or money!! When the curtain went up on Act Two i was not prepared for the Nutcracker style spectical that awaited me! The 'party' at Madam's house (gambling house and brothel) looked like a scene directly out of the xmas time ballet! If it hadn't had been for the choreograpthy i really would have left at that point! The female 'guests' at the party were dressed in net skirts some in a thinned out 'romantic' style ans others srunched up at the bact so some of the dancers looked like they had candy floss on their bottoms! Also for some reson the company have taken on a new corps dancer who, because of her height, sticks out like a sore thumb!! Just after Manon and Des G run away from the party and collect their things, they performed a very passionate pas de deux, and although (in my eyes) Le Riche made no particular impact proir to this PdD, he really put his emotions on display and showed what he was made of! The PdD was well timed and Des Grieux really was mentally tormented by the glittering braclet Manon was wearing- he was bewitched by the power and symbolization of the braclet and was disturbing but enjoyable to watch. I was beginning to enjoy the ballet as w whole more by that point (must admit that it helped when those 'nutcraker' dresses left the stage- in away they were kind of offencive to macmillan's original costumes!) Act 3, the costumes for the slave girls were different from those the public see at the Royal Ballet's production! In the RB version when the girls come of the ship they stand in rows heads bowed and hands seperating their hair as if to be checked for lice, but in this version the girls were wearing hats or hoods of sorts!! This gave a different feel to the entrace of these girls. The head of the pinal coloney was played by Peter Bo Bendixen, and although it was a small role, was rather good. I was particularly bemused by the very very very realistic enjoyment of stroking and Manon's leg (in the scene in his office where he 'advances' on Manon) while holding it between his legs. Very falic............ The final PdD was gorgeous, the timing was clear and concise and as far as my teaching eye would take me it looked fine. My only minor criticism is that they could have been more daring wiling to wait that extra second before catching her and being a little bit more violent with the catches in the air! I know that it takes a trusting relationship to take a PdD to that kind of height and difficult when Le Riche is only a guest dancer but it almost looked a bit too safe! I'm sorry to say that i was disappointed but i was, and as a usually avid RDB fan i was upset!! But hey, they've got another cahnce to impress me when i see the modern choregraphy triple bill tomorrow!! Good Luck to them!

I will do!! As soon as this, 30th, post has been put up!! Otherwise i don't count as full member!!

Thanks for your ideas! I have already seen parts of bournonville's 50 enchainements, and it is as you say, Paul, very useful!! And Kobborg shows NO signs of having trouble with double tours any more!! I'm a devoute Kobborg fan........... Does anyone have any ideas for thesis topics (at degree level) which involve anything to do with danish ballet- I'd be greatul for any and all ideas....... as the summer is coming to an end and im running dry of ideas myself :shrug: i've got to get started on it ASAP!

I dont know if you ment just RDB pics? But try (if you haven't already): www.bournonville.com http://www.kgl-teater.dk/dkt2002/Presserum...llet/frame3.htm http://www.ballerinagallery.com/ I also have a few other likes (not RDB) to some lovely ballet pics!!

I'm so annoyed that i to miss it! I was invited to a 50th b-day party, so caouldn't go!! I was really looking forward to it. Shame to hear there are so many dancers injured, wonder how it will impact on the new season?? :sweating: With Manon coming up (a very demanding ballet, to say the least) how will they manage? Im really interested in seeing Manon by the royal danish, having seen it in london not that long a go, it'll be an interesting experience! Hopefully they'll be in better form for the 'european works triple bill'!! Interesting, to read about the new work being commisioned by Neumier!